2006 - Chianti Classico Poggio Rose Riserva, Castell'in Villa

The 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva Poggio delle Rose brings together all of the best elements of this site and house style. Firm tannins frame a core of deeply expressive, opulent fruit in this full-throttle, huge Chianti Classico. Threads of sweet perfumed fruit run through the 2006 as it shows off its class and personality. Mint, flowers and sweet red berries punctuate the explosive finish. This is a dazzling showing from Castell-in Villa. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. Castell-in Villa is one of the most historic estates in Chianti Classico. Princess Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa and her husband found the property in 1967 and purchased it the following year. Initially, Princess Coralia and her husband thought they would make wine for fun. Princess Coralia's father, a Greek aristocrat, demurred at the thought of his daughter becoming a peasant. At the time, there was just one hectare under vine, but planting began in earnest in 1968 following the suggestions of the Chianti Classico Consorzio, which included white grapes that ended up being used for the first vintages. This tasting covered a number of vintages of the flagship Chianti Classico Riserva going back to the inaugural 1971. I also tasted several vintages of the single-vineyard Chianti Classico Poggio delle Rose and Santa Croce, the estate's Sangiovese/Cabernet blend. I have included those notes here for reference. Castell-in Villa's Chianti Classico Riserva is fermented in stainless steel, where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. The wine is then racked into cask where it spends about three years prior to being bottled. It remains one of the most rigorously traditional Chianti Classicos. Poggio delle Rose was planted in 1990 with a clonal selection taken from Castell-in Villa's original vineyards. The wine is aged exclusively in French oak barrels. A small amount was produced in 1994, but the first commercial release was the 1996. The estate's Santacroce is a Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvigno